--- title: Timeline and Funds Movement | Shopware Community Hub description: >- Describe dispute, claim, and chargeback paths; explain balance holds; plan capacity when cases stack; treat response timers as urgent. canonical_url: 'https://hub.shopware.com/learn/unit/timeline-and-funds' --- # Timeline and Funds Movement - **Describe** the three dispute paths—**dispute resolution**, **claim mediation**, and **bank chargeback**—and how they differ in cost and rigor. - **Explain** how **temporary holds** on disputed amounts affect your available **PayPal** balance during open cases. - **Plan** cash and internal response capacity when multiple cases are open at once. - **Stress** that **response timers start at notification** and missed deadlines usually lose by default. # Unit 3: Funds, Holds, and Cash Planning During Disputes **Strum & Co.'s** owner checked the **PayPal Merchant Dashboard** in the first week of December and noticed the available balance was lower than expected. Three cases were open in the **Resolution Center** — two disputes and one claim. Combined, they had €780 on hold. The money had not gone anywhere. But it was not available for the next payout either. Nobody had told finance to plan around it. This unit covers how funds move during disputes — what a hold means, what happens when a case closes, and how to keep cash planning accurate when cases are open. --- ## What Happens to Funds When a Case Opens The moment a dispute, claim, or chargeback is opened, **PayPal** places a temporary hold on the disputed amount. **What a hold means:** - The funds remain in your **PayPal** balance — they have not been returned to the customer yet - The held amount is **not available for payout** until the case closes - The hold shows in the **Resolution Center** case detail and in the **Money / Payouts** balance view This distinction matters for cash planning: a hold is not a loss. It is a temporary freeze pending resolution. --- ## What Happens When a Case Closes **If you win:** The hold is released back to your available balance and appears in a future payout batch. No further deduction. **If you lose:** The held funds are returned to the customer. The case closes. For chargebacks, a chargeback fee typically applies — deducted from your balance at the time the chargeback is received, not when the case closes. **If you resolve at the dispute stage:** The hold lifts when the resolution is confirmed — usually faster than a claim or chargeback, and often without a fee. > **For Strum & Co.:** the two December disputes were resolved directly with the buyers within 48 hours — both "item not received" cases with clear tracking confirmation. Holds released, no fees. The claim took 28 days to resolve — PayPal found in Strum's favor. The €340 hold was released in the following payout batch. --- ## Cash Planning With Open Cases Finance teams that ignore open disputes in their cash forecasting will be surprised by payout amounts that are lower than the available balance suggests. The practical habit: **Check open cases before any cash forecast.** The **Resolution Center** shows every open case with its hold amount and status. Add these up before projecting available balance for the next payout. **Model hold duration by stage.** Dispute holds typically resolve within days if you respond promptly. Claim holds last around 30 days. Chargeback holds can last weeks to months. Use these as planning ranges, not guarantees. **Track chargeback fees separately.** Chargeback fees deduct immediately when the chargeback is received — before the case is decided. Model this as an immediate cash impact, not a contingent one. --- ## Internal Response SLAs The **Resolution Center** shows the platform deadline for each case. That deadline is the outer limit — not the target. Set internal response SLAs stricter than the platform minimum. A practical standard for most teams: - **Respond within 48 hours of notification** for disputes — this keeps the direct resolution window open and signals to the buyer that you are engaged - **Prepare evidence within 5 business days** of a claim notification — gives you time to gather documentation without rushing Missing the platform deadline means the case is decided without your input. In practice this almost always means a decision against you. > **Calendar every deadline.** When a new case appears in the **Resolution Center**, the first action is adding the response deadline to a shared calendar — not reading the case detail. You can read the detail in the next hour. A missed deadline cannot be undone. --- ## The Practical Message for Finance Three things to communicate to your finance lead before the first dispute arrives: **1. Holds reduce available payout balance — not account balance.** The money is still yours until a case is lost. But it cannot be paid out while the hold is active. **2. Chargeback fees are immediate.** They deduct when the chargeback is received, not when the case is decided. A won chargeback does not recover the fee in most cases. **3. Open cases are visible in the Resolution Center.** Finance can check hold amounts and case status directly — they do not need to ask support for a cash impact estimate. --- ## Summary - A **hold** freezes the disputed amount in your balance — it is not gone, but it is not payout-eligible - **Win:** hold releases to your balance; **Lose:** funds return to customer; **Chargeback fee:** deducted immediately regardless of outcome - Check open cases before any cash forecast — holds affect available payout balance - Set internal response SLAs stricter than the platform deadline — **48 hours** for disputes is a practical target - Calendar every deadline when a case opens — missed deadlines are cases lost by default --- You'll then learn what belongs in a lean evidence pack for each reason family—and how to submit once, early, before the deadline compresses your options.